Topic outline

  • General

    Military mom visiting childcare

    Military Cultural Competence for Child Care Providers


    The ongoing mobilization of National Guard and Reserve forces makes it likely that even child care providers who do not work near a military installation either are currently caring for a military connected child or will care for one in the future. The first module of this E-Learning series is designed to help center and family home child care professionals provide culturally competent, responsive care for military families and their children.

    Military Culture 101: In order to work effectively with families and honor their military service, child care providers need a basic understanding of military culture and military family life. This learning module will introduce child care providers to characteristics of the United States Military system and the unique qualities of military family life.

    Supportive Child Care for Military Families: All families experience stressful times. For military families those stressful times may happen more frequently, last longer, or occur in conjunction with other unique challenges associated with military service. This learning module will examine the effect of stress on children's development and behavior and provide strategies that child care providers can use to support the military connected children in their care.

      This Learning Series was developed by eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care (EABCC):
      Jane Lanigan, Ph.D,Associate Professor, Washington State University
      Diane Bales, Ph.D, Associate Professor, University of Georgia
      Kathy Reschke, Ph.D, Concentration Leader, EABCC

      In collaboration with the Department of Defense
      Eddy Mentzer, CIV OSD PR

      • Military Culture 101

        In order to work effectively with families and honor their military service, child care providers need a basic understanding of military culture and military family life. The purpose of this learning module is to:

        1. Introduce child care providers to the language, values, structure, policies and expectations of the United States Military Service Branches.
        2. Explain the differences between Active and Reserve military service.
        3. Describe the unique assets and challenges associated with military family life.
        4. Explore child development within the context of military family life

      • Strategies for Supporting Military Children and Families in Child Care Settings

        This is the 2nd in a 2 part series of learning modules designed to provide professional development for child care providers who work with military connected children and families.We recommend that you view Military Culture 101 prior to completing this module. After completing this learning module you will be able to:

        1. Describe how children perceive and respond to family stressors at different stages of development.
        2. Examine the effect of chronic stress on children’s brain and development.
        3. Describe ways that child care providers can mitigate the challenges military families experience.
        4. Provide strategies that child care providers can use to support children experiencing stress and to respond to challenging behaviors.
        5. Identify resources available to assist child care providers serving military connected children including those of the Military Families Learning Network.
        • Pretest Quiz

          Before beginning Strategies for for Supporting Military Children and Families in Child Care Settings, please complete this short quiz. You will not receive feedback at this time as you will repeat the quiz after completing the learning module.

        • Section 1: The Important Role of Early Educators in Supporting the Children and Families of Military Personnel URL

          This section will:

          • present the learning objectives for the learning module
          • review the content from Military Culture 10
          • describe the important role early educators can play in supporting the families and children of military personnel
          • define the two categories of strategies to be presented
        • Section 2: Prevention Strategies that Support Child and Family Resiliency URL

          This section will examine how early educators can:

          • create a welcoming setting for both parents and children that minimizes stress and maximizes connections
          • reflect military culture in their child care setting
          • celebrate familial traditions, culture and holidays
          • build child and family resiliency
        • Section 3: Strategies for Addressing Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors URL

          In this section early educators will:

          • learn to identify the underlying meaning of children's misbehaviors
          • describe how stress may affect children's behavior
          • distinguish between behavior associated learning gaps and internalizing or externalizing behaviors that reflect strong emotions
          • identify approaches to support children whose behaviors reflect stress.
          • recognize activities and practices that can alleviate child stress
        • Posttest Quiz

          After completing Strategies for for Supporting Military Children and Families in Child Care Settings, please complete this short quiz. Completion of the quiz is required to receive a certificate of completion. Thanks!

        • Additional Resources Folder

          Check out these trusted sources to learn more about child guidance and the effects of stress on young children.

      • Using Books in Child Care to Connect with Military Children's Lives

        This learning module provides a rationale and practical suggestions for using literature to support children’s social-emotional development as they learn to cope with the stresses, anxieties, and feelings of loss that can occur in their lives. Although all children can benefit from books, in this module we pay special attention to the needs of military children. The purpose of this module is to help providers to understand:

        1. the power of books for children
        2. how to use books to help children cope with difficult situations
        3. what to look for in selecting helpful books
        4. specific strategies on how to use books to help children cope with difficult situations
        5. how an interactive children’s database can be useful for finding books that are particularly helpful for military children
        • Pre-test Quiz

          Before beginning Using Books in Child Care to Connect with Military Children's Lives, please complete this short quiz. You will not receive feedback at this time as you will repeat the quiz after completing the learning module.

        • Section 1: Experience the Power of Books URL

          This section will:

          • present an overview of the power of books for children
          • describe how children’s literature can help children cope with difficult situations.
        • Case Study 1 Quiz

          Test your understanding of the power of books to help children cope with difficult situations.

        • Section 2: Using Literature to Help Children Cope URL

          This second section will:

          • identify what to look for in selecting helpful books to use with children
          • describe ways to share books with children to help create a supportive environment
        • Case Study 2 Quiz

          Test your ability to select and use children's books in early childhood settings that can support children experiencing stress.

        • Section 3: Introducing the eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care Military Children's Interactive Children's Literature Database URL

          This section will:

          • introduce you to an interactive database of children’s books that are particularly helpful for military children
          • describe how the database is organized
          • show how to use the searchable and interactive features

        • Post-test Quiz

          After completing Using Books in Child Care to Connect with Military Children's Lives, please complete this short quiz. Completion of the quiz is required to receive a certificate of completion. Thanks you.